


The Seed (and the Roots)

by jdooly



Series: Emologue [2]
Category: Winner (Band), iKON (Kpop)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Stripper/Exotic Dancer, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, M/M, OT3, Possible mentions of OT4, Unconventional Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-14
Updated: 2014-12-14
Packaged: 2018-03-01 09:25:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2768072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jdooly/pseuds/jdooly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jinhwan remembers how it all began. The seed that started it all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Seed (and the Roots)

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to a very kind commenter, I decided to turn this into a series. So, shout out to VampireMadonna. Anyways, enjoy and remember, I take all kinds of feedback. If you think I could do better and want to point out something, go ahead and leave a comment. Thanks!

Jinhwan stood across the street from the club and stared at the aged brick of the wall. He could see the hulking black distortions of the figures moving behind the frosted glass panes. It was 10 AM, the staff were preparing for the opening that night. As he stands there, staring, Jinhwan remembers when Axis was nothing but a seed of thought.

They had been nothing but mere high school and college students. Jinhwan, who’d been a sophomore attending Seoul National University along with Jiwon (infamously known as Bobby.) Hanbin had been just a senior in high school. The trio met after Jinhwan’s dance class every Friday.

However that particular Friday, as they were sitting elbow to elbow, leg to leg against the floor-to-ceiling glass mirrors of the practice room. The thudding bass of Frank Ocean’s Thinkin’ Bout You playing in the background. Jinhwan’s iPod connected to the internal speaker system. Bobby had an idea.

He glanced over at Jinhwan who had his eyes closed, shirt drenched in sweat, while he rested his head against Hanbin’s shoulder. “Guys….what if we opened our own strip club?”

Hanbin the “goodie-two shoes” and “saintly older brother” had promptly choked on the water he’d been sipping. Jinhwan flew off of Hanbin at the sudden hacking coughs and attempted to comfort him, rubbing and patting at his back.

Bobby ruffled his hair, patting him on back once. “Sorry.” He had a wide grin on his face though. He wasn’t ~~THAT~~ sorry. Hanbin wheezed and wiped the tears from his cheeks. “Bobby, did your brother drop you on your head when you were a baby? Honestly.” His voice sounds a little strained.

He laughs, “Possibly. But really, don’t you think it’s a good idea Jinhwan?”

Jinhwan, who’s been dead silent ever since Bobby mentioned the idea, twiddles with his thumbs nervously. “I don’t know Bobby. That’s not going to fly with my parents and Hanbin is a minor.” He hadn’t outright stood against it, Bobby decided that was a good start.

“Technicalities. C’mon imagine it. Practically naked men and women dancing. We’d get to see it all and run it all.” Hanbin hated to admit it, but he was a little intrigued. Bobby then added, “Jinhwan, you could even dance there.”

Jinhwan’s eyes widened as his body stiffened under Hanbin’s fingers, “You….You want me to dance with little to no clothes on? In front of old perverted men…?” His voice is filled with disbelief and annoyance.

Hanbin decides to add his two cents, “Well, it’s not always perverted old men, there are some perverted young people as well.” Bobby nods his approval. “Yes, thanks for clarifying that B. It makes me feel so much better.” He gets up from the floor and heads into the back room, leaving Hanbin and Bobby together.

Hanbin looks over at Bobby who shrugs and mumbles, “He’ll come back soon, he’s just thinking too hard.”

Five minutes turn into ten minutes before Jinhwan returns, duffle bag in hand. He’s changed into a new white shirt and his bangs wet. He’d washed his hair in the sink. Hanbin can smell the familiar scent of green apple, even from where they are. Bobby stands and offers Hanbin his hand, pulling him off the floor.

Bobby doesn’t press Jinhwan’s buttons, following him out the door. They make their way out of the Arts Building, across campus to Bobby and Jinhwan’s shared dorm. (Jinhwan had pulled some strings and made some promises to make that happen. Bobby owed him.) Any other day they’d have taken the elevator up to the 3rd floor, but today, Jinhwan bypassed it for the rarely used stairs.

He took his time climb each flight, a nervous Hanbin and slightly clingy Bobby silently followed. When they reached their dorm room, Jinhwan pulled off his necklace, the key secured to the long silver chain. He unlocked the door and suddenly shoved them inside. Locking it back behind himself.

(They all had similar ones that held the friendship rings Jinhwan had purchased for them. At first, Bobby had visibly cringed at the cheesiness. But now, it was a welcome comfort.)

They stumbled inside and took refuge on Bobby’s single bed. Jinhwan tossed his bag into his office chair and paced back and forth between the window and the door. He opened his mouth multiple times like he wanted to say something but just couldn’t find the words.

Bobby at this point was regretting opening his mouth in the first place. Seeing Jinhwan so stressed out about his idea didn’t sit right with him.

Jinhwan turned and looked at the two of them. Hanbin sat in between Bobby’s legs, pulled tight against his chest while Bobby rested his back against the wall. The fingers of his left hand threaded through Hanbin’s hair while his other hand gripped tightly onto Hanbin’s right hand, fingers mingled together.

Hanbin reached his free hand out and pulled Jinhwan down onto the bed where he pressed his face into Hanbin’s stomach. It was quiet for a while. Jinhwan doesn’t know how long passed. “I’ll do it…” He sits up slightly so that they can both hear his quiet voice. Bobby hides his shock behind a smile. Hanbin just squeezes Jinhwan’s fingers.

“But, what are we going to call it?” They all thought for a moment before Hanbin exclaimed, “Axis!” Bobby and Jinhwan looked at each other for a moment. Jinhwan asked, “Why Axis?” Jinhwan could remember word for word the explanation he gave. “Because an Axis is a straight line on which a body can rotate. And stripping is rotating around a pole right? So Axis.” That sends Bobby and Jinhwan into a fit of laughter. Bobby just ruffles his hair while Jinhwan rests in his lap again. It’s been decided. Axis will be theirs.

From then on Hanbin used his free time to charm a neighbor he knew into letting them use his vacant club in the back streets of Hongdae.

Bobby furthered himself in his Business classes, taking serious notes and using his knowledge to begin their strip club.

Jinhwan pulled his classmate, Jo Kwon aside and shyly asked for help with sexier dances and somewhat unbelievable amounts of stretching and increasing his flexibility. He took it upon himself to attend pole dancing classes, twice a week.

The days turned into weeks which in turn combined to form months which doubled into years. In that time they’d hired Yunhyeong, a fellow college student, who had been studying to become a Pediatrician with a minor in Singing. Junhoe, Donghyuk and Chanwoo, who were friends of Hanbin. If Jinhwan turned a blind eye, he might forget how young they all are.

Jinhwan spent months going over the choreography with them. Donghyuk and Junhoe picked up unsurprisingly quick. Whereas Yunhyeong and Chanwoo took weeks to grip the basics and even more weeks to nail the routine. He was proud of the effort.

Bobby taught Hanbin everything he learned about business, he filled notebook after notebook with his scribbles about budgeting and marketing. Hanbin was the club’s foundation. If he and Bobby made the limbs, then Hanbin was the brain and the heart. They couldn’t survive without him.

A year of being open and Jinhwan consider Hanbin and Bobby pros for keeping them open a year. The popularity the place had gained was enormous. They even had female staff now; Hyuna, Ailee, Bora, Minzy. They taught the boys the wonder and pain-filled curiosity of cosmetics. Which came in handy. They even landed a mixologist, Terada Takuya.

They hired bouncers, Youngbae and Seunghyun. Youngbae had muscles that rivaled his trainers, while Seunghyun was just intimidatingly tall. He was a gigantic teddy bear. More often than not they were calling cabs for a very drunk Hongseok, who somehow always ended up in Bobby’s booth, mic in hand singing American pop songs. (His boyfriend, Jinhyeong, apologizes profusely every time he gets the call. It amuses Hanbin, the kid is cute.)

Late at night after Donghyuk, Yunhyeong, Chanwoo, Junhoe, Hyuna, Ailee, Bora, and Minzy have gone home or out to drink. Jinhwan is pressed sprawled across the desk in Hanbin’s office and cherished by the younger boys, in their own way.

They’d never bothered to put a label on what they shared. It was just theirs and they were just them.

Even when Jinhwan had customers, Jinhwan was still theirs.

That shifted slightly the night Song Mino had arrived. Dressed from head to toe in a brand Jinhwan couldn’t pronounce the name of. He hadn’t originally been Jinhwan’s regular. Mino had an eye for Minzy originally. But Mino had cravings for things that weren’t his and Jinhwan was most definitely not his.

Jinhwan remembers that night just as well as he remembers all of his nights with Hanbin and Bobby. The thought lights the wick of arousal deep within his gut and he feels guilty. Guilty that he’d slipped right through Hanbin and Bobby’s hands just like melting butter.

He’d built an incredible bond with the two of them yet Mino was drawing something out of him that he’d tried to deny ever existed.

He’d watch as Hanbin’s expressions filled with pain and slight anger when every time Mino walked through their doors. He’d seen Bobby look stricken and pull Hanbin aside and back into his office, with a quick glance back at Jinhwan.

Jinhwan had watched their backs walk away from him more times than he could count now. But somehow he still loved and they still loved him, adored him.

Mino was an unexpected mountain in their journey, but Hanbin and Bobby had started climbing.


End file.
